spirituality in the east and West

The distinction between the East and the West is not just in terms of education and wealth. If you look at individuals from both places, there is not much difference, but there is a whole lot of cultural difference. The West is an economic culture; everything is fundamentally economics in that culture. So in the West, a young person who has just reached the age of twelve or thirteen years of age, all that he knows is what is available in that culture, so that is the direction in which he goes. It takes a little extra intelligence for a person to look beyond and seek something which is beyond what is available right there in his culture.

However in India, whether you like it or not, even if you have an allergy for spirituality, it gets lobbed onto you one way or the other. In your families, in your society, wherever you go, something of it will naturally touch you. People have taken to the spiritual possibility because there is a whole spiritual tradition that has always been available.

Wherever a culture is new, economics and social wellbeing are more active because those are the first things that you will attend to in your life. In many ways, because they still remember the difficulties that their forefathers went through to build the culture, a culture which is new is still hungry – hungry for life and wellbeing. It is like going and talking spirituality to a man on the street who is hungry right now; it will not mean anything to him.

When your economic and social needs are well taken care of, only then, as an individual and as a culture, you start looking beyond, for other dimensions. Wherever the culture is very old, you will see, the mystical is very active there. The reason why there is and there always has been so much spirituality in India is because this has been a very stable culture. It has just stayed in one place steadily for thousands of years. If any culture remains steadily in one place for this many years, spirituality will definitely become a huge force in that culture. Slowly, other dimensions of life have become more important than physical survival. So this distinction is clearly drawing the line – your psyche is going beyond the survival instincts.

However in i ndia, w H et H er you like it or not, even if you H ave an allergy for spirituality, it gets lobbed onto you one way or t H e ot H er. i n your families, in your society, w H erever you go, somet H ing of it will naturally touc H you. p eople H ave taken to t H e spiritual possibility because t H ere is a w H ole spiritual tradition t H at H as always been available.

It is unfortunate that cultures have to take that long to realize this. Generally, cultures take a long time but individuals need not take that long. A spiritual process is always individual – you can see it right now out of your intelligence.

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the exceptional and distinguished service.

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